PC Gamer - UK (2022-02)

So, to get to the big questions – yes,

Endwalker is a fantastic send-off to

the Hydaelyn/Zodiark saga (two

ancient beings locked in a light versus

dark conflict involving many crystals

• Final Fantasy fans
  know the drill) that
  celebrates all that came
  before; and yes, it
  leaves the door wide
  open for new
  adventures that we
  know are on the way.
  Though, in tying
  things off with a bow,
  things get a little messy. While its
  runtime is about the same as its
  previous hefty expansions, it feels like
  there’s loads more story than usual,
  for good and ill. As your hero and the
  Scions Of The Seventh Dawn battle
  to overcome the apocalyptic ‘Final
  Days’, they deal with multiple
  climatic-feeling threats and dispatch
  a heap of villains, all while moving
  quickly between areas great distances
  apart (you go to the moon, after all).

It feels like the plot could have been

dished out over two expansions.

What’s here might be meaty, but

it’s not always mighty. Moments that

take place in the ruins of a suddenly

tumultuous Garlemald

• the Empire that’s
  hounded our Eorzean
  friends for some time


• are memorable, but
  slight. The same goes
  for the vibrant,
  colourful Thavnair, the
  South Asian inspired
  land that we’re only
  visiting for the first time here. From
  jungles filled with deadly wildlife to
  ancient ruins, there’s only a handful
  of characters with speaking parts, but
  they’re well-drawn enough that I
  wanted to learn more about them.
  They’re just not allowed enough time
  to shine in this ambitious
  undertaking. It less end-walks, and
  more end-sprints to its conclusion.
  Rather than having an anthology
  feel, it ends up giving it larger issues,

like a lack of any real clear villainous

endgame, and narrative conceits that

suddenly present themselves then

lead onto a roller-coaster path to

wrapping themselves up. It’s a shame

as the little moments are great. Those

who have played since the beginning

will be fist pumping as even minor

characters get time to shine – even if

it feels like it has three separate ‘and

my axe’ moments where allies show

up with a wink and a nod.

Where the last expansion,

Shadowbringers, had lots to enjoy as a

self-contained story in a new world,

Endwalker’s commitment to giving

everything its time under the

faltering star is both its biggest

triumph and at times its weakness.

Though, more often than not, anyone

who’s made it this far will have a big

grin on their faces. Just, maybe give

pause if you were planning to buy a

story skip to get right here. Play

through the rest first.

CAREER PROSPECTS

Peel back the emotional and at times

very bleak story (apocalypses tend to

be a little dicey, after all), and the

content in Endwalker provides what’s

expected. You have two new jobs in

the Reaper, a physical DPS, and Sage,

a healer (and the first new one in a

few years). You have six new story

dungeons, plus two extra endgame

ones, and three trials (large-scale

boss battles). You’ve got six new

maps to stomp around as you

complete quests, join up with players

to take on FATEs (Full Active Time

Event, like Destiny’s Public Events),

or get woody with your axe as you

take on trees for crafting materials.

Plus, two new cities for up-to-date

players to hang out in – Thavnair’s

Radz-At-Han, and the Greek-inspired

Old Sharlayan (full of stuffy scholars).

All of these additions represent

Final Fantasy XIV’s development

team at their peak. Both jobs are

terrific fun, and thanks to the way the

MMO allows all users to switch jobs

straight from their inventory, easy for

T

he word ‘expansion’ feels almost too small for what Final

Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is. Not only is it essentially a full

length JRPG, 50 hour JRPG in its own right, but it’s also the

culmination of a storyline that’s been ongoing for over ten

years, which myself and millions of other players have been

following through regular updates that whole time. Rather than simply an

add-on, it feels more like the final book in a long-running fantasy series.

THE FINAL DAZE

FINAL FANTASY XIV: ENDWALKER goes big and brings it home

By Oscar Taylor-Kent

It feels like the

plot could have

been dished out

over two

expansions

NEED TO KNOW

WHAT IS IT?

The MMO’s latest

expansion, closing out

a long-running story arc

EXPECT TO PAY

£30 (expansion), £40

(complete edition)

DEVELOPER

Square Enix

PUBLISHER

In-house

REVIEWED ON

AMD Ryzen 7 1700X,

Gigabyte RTX 2080

Super, 32Gb RAM

MULTIPLAYER

Yes

LINK

bit.ly/3ILzK7a

CRYSTAL MAZE

Guiding you through the expansions of the past

FINAL FANTASY XIV:

A REALM REBORN

2013

This brave hard relaunch

saved the panned original

release by completely

overhauling basically

everything while making the

reshaping canon.

FINAL FANTASY XIV:

HEAVENSWARD

2015

Isolated in a strange land,

you end up caught in a

conflict of church and state.

Except replace ‘state’ with

‘dragons’. This is where

things really ramped up.

FINAL FANTASY XIV:

STORMBLOOD

2017

Bloody war rages as the

fight between Garlemand

and Eorzea comes to a

head. Travel to the east to

unite, liberate, and fight a

chap with luscious hair.

FINAL FANTASY XIV:

SHADOWBRINGERS

2019

Journey to a parallel world

where eternal daylight

reigns, infecting a dwindling

population with light that

results in an angelic body

horror transformation.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

REVIEW